Vending machine



y 7, 1963 D. E. SEYMOUR 3,088,629

VENDING MACHINE Filed D90. 2, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 nmwmm U I WWI INVENTOR. Donald E. Sqymour BY 4mm Star/ Dlztbmegs 6 IHI I W IW May 7, 1963 D. E. SEYMOUR VENDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 2, 1960 IN V EN TOR. Donald E Seymour B Andrus 6 star] Oflfornzys y 1963 D. E. SEYMOUR 3,088,629

VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 2, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR Donald E. Seymour BY 3,088,629 VENDING MACHINE Donald E. Seymour, 521 4th St, Bamboo, Wis. Filed Dec. 2, 1 960, Ser- No. 73,351 9 Claims. (Cl. 221-47) The present invention relates generally to vending machines and in particular to machines for vending fuels such as fire wood, charcoal and the like to campers.

The various parks, preserves, and forests comprising our national and state park systems offer a number of services to enable the public to more fully enjoy the parks without damaging or injuring park property. One of these services is the distribution of dry firewood, charcoal and other combustibles to enable the public and campers in particular to prepare a fire for warming, drying and/or cooking purposes or simply for campfire gatherings when no other source of dry combustibles is available. However, the increasing number of people frequenting our park systems has heavily taxed existing distribution facilities, both with respect to personnel and fuel storage space, and has made it increasingly difficult for the concessionaires and/or park personnel to provide proper service while maintaining adequate profit margins on this particular phase of their operations.

This invention fulfills the need for a more satisfactory and complete means of meeting the needs of campers and the like by means of a coin controlled, mechanically operable vending machine particularly adapted for vending materials such as firewood, charcoal, coal, as well as a variety of other related and unrelated items.

The machine comprises generally an endless conveyor having a series of uniformly spaced bucket-like containers mounted thereon for free tilting movement about corresponding horizontal pivot axes. The containers are dumped upon movement through a predetermined zone of travel by curved cam tracks supported forwardly of the conveyor in the direction of conveyor travel for swinging movement relatively of the conveyor and selectively between a first position permitting the free passage of the buckets through the dump zone and a second position engaging and til-ting the buckets into emptying position as the latter pass through the dump zone.

The conveyor is actuated for movement by a manual crank located exteriorly of the machine and is normally set for forward travel only by a manually controlled brake, preventing reverse movement. The conveyor movement is controlled by a conveyor trip release sup ported within the machine for pivoting movement between conveyor locking and unlocking positions. The release is pivoted from looking to unlocking position by a coin operated slide located exteriorly of the machine and is automatically pivoted back into locking position by the conveyor upon the passage of a single bucket through the dumping zone to prevent further operation of the machine until another coin is inserted.

The mechanism is contained within a locked enclosure which may be unlocked and opened by an attendant for loading purposes. Suitable manual controls are provided within the enclosure and are accessible upon opening the enclosure for actuating the conveyor brake to an inoperative position to permit conveyor movement in either direction and for pivoting the trip release between lock and unlock positions. A control is also similarly located within the enclosure for pivoting the cam tracks toward their second pivot position whereby a single attendant can reload and reset the machine for operation from a given location.

The drawings furnished herewith illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention.

3 ,088,629 Patented May 7, 1963 In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pair of vending machines of the invention mounted in side-by-side relation;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the device of FIG. 1 with part of the casing broken away and partially in section through differing locations to clearly illustrate the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation with the enclosure in section illustrating the control mechanism of the machine in ki p s t o FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side view of the machine showing the control mechanism in unlocking position and with the buckets advanced from their initial position as shown in FIG. 3 and into position for actuation of the control mechanism;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4- illustrating successive positions of a bucket in moving out of the dump zone and into an upright position;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4- illustrating successive positions of the buckets as the latter move through the dumping zone when the machine is set for reloading;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4 illustrating the machine in position for operation upon completion of filling of the buckets;

FIG. ,8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the .conveyor chains shown with a modified and a conventional carrier bracket;

FIG. 9 is a view along the lines 9-9 of FIG. v8 show ing a conventional carrier bracket; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of one of the conveyor buckets.

The vending machine 1 of the present invention is comprised essentially of an endless conveyor 2 mounted in a generally vertical plane within a completely enclosed box-like housing 3. The housing provides protection against vandalism and the elements and is constructed .of a plurality of panels 4, preferably of water resistant plywood, bolted to a framework of welded angle irons 5. For access .to within housing 3, one of the sides of housing 3 is provided with a panel 4A which is secured in a manner permitting its removal from the outside by the use of special tools or by a suitable key operated lock or locks. For appearance purposes, the seams formed between adjoining panels 4 are covered by the metal mold ing strips .6.

The conveyor in the illustrated embodiment of the invention is a chain drive type of mechanism including a pair of endless roller chains 7 supported along opposed sides of the housing for travel lengthwise of the housing by a plurality of sets of laterally spaced sprockets 8. The

-materia1 to be dispensed is carried within a plurality of buckets 9 which are mounted between the chains at predetermined uniform intervals for free pivoting movement about a horizontal pivot axis by the cooperating trunnions 10 and U-shaped carrier brackets 11 secured respectively to the ends of buckets 9 and each of the chains "7. Trunnions 10 are formed with an intermediate shoulder 12 limiting inward movement of brackets 11 and maintaining chains 7 at a predetermined distance from buckets 9. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, trunnions 10 are removably supported within brackets 11 by the hearing assemblies 13 which are mounted between opposed sides of the individual brackets coaxially .on the trunnion. Each bucket 9 is constructed to hang uprightly from its end trunnions 10 and has an open top for receivng a load of wood or other material.

The chain-s are driven in unison through the relatively large diameter forward sprockets 8a interconnected by common cross shaft .14 supported at its ends within the bearings 15. The remaining sprockets 8 constitute spsaeae idler sprockets and are individually journally supported within additional bearings 15 to permit the buckets to pass freely therebetween. To provide a relatively long circuit for chains 7 and thus increase the sales capacity of the machine, sets of idler sprockets 8 are located adjacent each of the rear corners of the housing and at corresponding elevations generally centrally of the housing as shown in FIG. 3. One set of idler sprockets is connected for elevational adjustment of supporting angle irons by suitable means (not shown) to permit regulation of the extension chains 7.

The conveyor is adapted to be driven by a second chain drive mechanism comprising the sprockets 16 and 17 connected by a chain 18 and mounted respectively on shaft 14 and a shaft 19 journally supported below sprocket 16 within bearings 15. Sprockets 16 and 17 are driven manually to drive the conveyor by a crank handle 20 secured to the outer end of shaft 19 and which is located on the outside of the housing. In operation, conveyor 2 is set for travel in a forward direction only (or counterclockwise travel with reference to FIG. 3) by a ratchet arm 21 connected directly inwardly of panel 4A and rearwardly of the corresponding forward sprocket 8a for pivoting movement about a horizontal pivot axis. Arm 21 is normally resiliently urged against the rear of the aforesaid sprocket by a spring 22.

Each bucket 9 is dumped in succession as it passes over the forward sprockets So: by a mechanism including a pair of depending curved cam tracks 23 mounted ahead and between the forward sprockets. The buckets are tilted as they are moved past tracks 23 by means of the follower rollers 24 secured to the leading edge of opposed bucket ends and which engage and ride against the tracks. To effect a positive tilting action between rollers 24 and tracks 23, the latter are set to engage the buckets when the bucket trunnion and its carrier bracket 11 are on sprockets 8a to thereby prevent the bucket from moving away from the tracks due to possible play in chains 7.

The tracks 23 are pivotally mounted on a common transverse axis at their upper ends to provide for moving the tracks forwardly away from the path of rollers 24 on buckets 9 when it is desired to avoid dumping a bucket as it passes through the dumping zone as in loading. In the forward pivot position of tracks 23, follower rollers 24 pass freely behind cam tracks 23 to maintain the buckets in a non-tilted or upright position as they pass through the dump zone, as particularly shown in FIG. 6.

The tracks are adapted to be positioned manually between oper-ative and inoperative pivot positions, and for that purpose each track is provided with a spring 25 and a toggle lever 26 connected respectively to upper and intermediate portions of the track and to corresponding parts of the framework ahead of the tracks 23. In the illustrated structure, spring 25 constitutes a tension member yieldably urging the tracks away from sprockets 8 to a forward pivot position.

Levers 26 are controlled for extension or retraction as a unit by a lateral shaft 27 rigidly connecting corresponding ends of the levers and which is turned through a rearwardly extending manual actuating rod 28 secured to shaft 27 on the end thereof towards panel 4A. Rod 28 extends to a point opposite of panel 4A and is adapted to be releasably retained against the opposed bias of springs 25 to lock levers 26 in the extended position by a spring-type snap lock 29 secured Within housing 3 at the outer end of the rod. When lifted from lock 29, rod 28 is urged downwardly, permitting the levers to retract to move cam tracks 23 into inoperative position.

For a purpose to appear hereinafter, cam tracks 23 are further interconnected by a pair of U-shaped cross braces 30, one of which is located centrally of the tracks :and the other at the lower end of the tracks on the forward face thereof.

As buckets 9 advance downwardly through the dumping zone they become increasingly tilted and as rollers 24 near the lower end of tracks 23, the buckets reach a fully tilted emptying position corresponding to a degree of tilt of over During the tilting of the buckets, the bucket contents fall freely out of the bucket and into an internal discharge chute 31 located directly beneath sprockets 8a. Chute 31 slopes downwardly towards the front wall 417 of the housing and directs the contents dumped therein to a bottom opening 32 formed in housing wall 4b. The contents of chute 31 are prevented from spilling out of the chute and are held therein for removal by an external funnel-like panel 33 framing opening 32. Panel 33 is further effective to prevent entry into the machine through opening 32.

The conveyor is controlled for sequential, single dumping of the buckets 9 in response to the actuation of a coin controlled slide 34 mounted externally of housing front wall 4b. For this purpose, a conveyor trip release 35 is mounted forwardly of the removable panel 4A of the housing for pivotal movement to selectively position its upper bucket engaging arms 36 and 37. The release 35 has a downwardly depending actuating arm 33 disposed to be engaged by slide 34 to push the lower end of arm 38 inwardly (to the right in FIGS. 3-7) and thereby pivot lock arm 36 to the left, as shown in FIG. 4, and raise re turn arm 37 into the path of travel of the outer end of trunnion 149 on the bucket previously dumped.

An over center spring 39 extends between arm 36 and the bracket 41 to which release 35 is pivoted to provide for holding of the release 35 in its opposite pivotal positions.

When in locking position as shown in FIG. 3, the upper end of arm 36 engages the bearing assembly 13 of the emptied bucket 9 intermediately of the sides of bracket 11 and Wedges the bracket against sprocket 8a to prevent further actuation of chain 7 by crank 20. Spring 39' normally retains the release 35- in looking position until slide 34 is pushed inwardly against arm 38 thereby pivoting arm 36 away from bearings 13, which provide 'a rolling action to aid this movement of arm 36. As the spring 39 passes dead center in the pivoting of arm 36 away from trunnion 10, the spring then quickly completes the pivotal movement of the arm 36 to the release position shown in FIG. 4.

With release 35 in the unlock position as shown in FIG. 4, arm 37 is raised into the path of the tip of trunnion 10 of the previously locked empty bucket so that as the operator actuates crank 20 after release of the conveyor, trunnion 10 engages arm 37 and forces the latter downwardly, thereby pivoting release 35 back toward locking position. The resulting pivoting of release 35 returns spring 39 sufficiently toward its center position to cause the spring to snap the release fully inwardly and into the position of FIG. 5 where the upper end of arm 36 will again stop the next bucket from passing emptying position. Concurrently, trip arm 38 swings to the left against slide 34 and kicks the latter to its original, inoperative position.

T o prevent operation of the machine after all buckets have been emptied, the carrier bracket of the last bucket 9 to be emptied is provided with a plate-like stop 41 secured to the leading edge of the bracket and preventing arm 36 from engaging assembly 13. Stop 41 provides a surfiace-to-surface contact with arm 36, preventing the re lease from pivoting forwardly upon attempted operation of the coin slide, thereby locking the unit against operation.

Slide 34 extends through a coin box and mechanism which is customarily employed in coin actuated vending machines and the like, and which locks the slide against inward movement unless a proper coin has been placed in a recess in the slide. Such mechanisms of a substantial variety are available on the market and need not be described or illustrated here.

The trip release 35 is controlled for pivoting also from just inside the removable panel 4A by a rod 42 connected to trip arm 38. I I

For the purpose of reloading and resetting the machine following the emptying of some or all of the buckets, panel 4A is initially removed and the conveyor set for unobstructed passage of the buckets past the cam tracks by removing rod 28 from lock 29 to permit spring 25 to swing cam tracks 23 to the left, as shown in FIG. 6. Crank 20 is then turned to successively advance each bucket 9 oppositely of the access opening previously covered by panel 4A and the buckets filled in succession. During the loading, rod 42 is pulled to pivot trip release 35 forwardly each time a bucket is advanced to locking position. When stop block 41 engages arm 36, conveyor unlocking is effected by holding ratchet arm 21 free of sprocket 8a and cranking the conveyor rearwardly to back plate 41 off arm 36 whereupon release 35 is pivoted to unlock position.

When all the buckets have been filled, the conveyor is moved to its approximate starting position with the last bucket to be emptied positioned generally at the lower end of the cam track. Rod 28 is then swung upwardly into lock 29 to return the c am tracks to operating position at which time ratchet arm 21 is again disengaged from sprocket 8a and the conveyor cranked rearward'ly to swing the follower roller of the end bucket ahead of the lower end of the cam tracks and into engagement with the lower of the cross braces 30, as shown in FIG. 7. The conveyor is then locked against movement by locating arm 36 against an empty trunnion and carrier bracket assembly 43 which is fastened to the corresponding chain 7 between the first and last buckets to be emptied. Panel 4A is then replaced to ready the machine for operation.

In repairing the machine, the attendant initially removes one or more buckets 9 from between chains 7, working through the access opening 4A, to provide sufficient clearance for entering the housing 3 through the opening. The various internal parts of the machine may then be inspected and repaired as needed and necessary adjustments carried out.

The construction of the unit and the arrangement of the various control arms permits one attendant to perform the reloading and resetting operation with a minimum amount of waste effort as all the necessary operations may be executed from one location.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination a vending machine, a bucket conveyor having a series of open top buckets carried by an endless movable member to successively move said buckets through a dumping zone, over center trip release means responsive to the movement of said conveyor to lock the same against further forward movement immediately following the dumping of each bucket, and coin actuated control means for actuating said over center trip release means upon the insertion of a given coin to release said conveyor for travel for dumping the succeeding bucket.

2. The construction of claim 1 comprising a locked housing for said conveyor, and means accessible upon unlocking and opening of said housing to manually actuate said over center trip release means without insertion of a coin in said coin actuated control means.

.3. In a vending machine having a series of bucket-like containers freely pivotally mounted for endless travel and having bucket dump means located at a predetermined path of travel, means for controlling bucket movement for sequentially and singly dumping the buckets, comprising an over center trip release having a first and second bucket engaging arm selectively swingable into the path of travel of said buckets, said first arm when in the path of travel of said buckets adapted to lock the buckets against movement and with the second arm when in the path of said buckets adapted to engage the buckets and to move therewith out of the path of said buckets to swing the first arm into the path of travel of the buckets upon a predetermined increment of travel to relock the buckets against movement, and a coin operated slide mounted externally of said machine and engaging said trip release when the first arm of the latter is swung into the path of travel of said buckets for pivoting said first arm out of the path of travel of said buckets.

4. In a vending machine having a series of uniformly spaced bucket containers freely pivotally mounted for endless travel and having container tilting means located at a predetermined zone of travel to successively tilt said containers into emptying position, means for controlling container movement for sequential, individual emptying of the containers in response to the actuation of a coin slide mounted externally of the housing, comprising a trip release supported within said housing for over center pivoting and having a first and second arm at one end selectively swingable into the path of travel of said containers, said first arm when in the path of said buckets adapted to lock the buckets against travel when engaged by a bucket, and said second arm when in the path of said buckets adapted to move with said buckets upon advance thereof and out of the path of said buckets to swing said first arm back into the path thereof, said trip release being engageable with said coin slide on the end thereof oppositely of the first and second arms and to one side of the trip release pivot axis when said first arm is located in the path of travel of said buckets whereby upon actuation of said coin release the first arm is pivoted out of the path of said buckets.

5. The combination of claim 4 including manually releasable means engaging said conveyor for preventing reverse travel thereof.

6. A vending machine having a sprocket driven endless conveyor freely pivotally supporting a series of uniformly spaced bucket-like containers provided with outwardly extending follower rollers on corresponding sides thereof, means for sequentially tilting said buckets to emptying position comprising a curved cam track engageable with said follower roller on said bucket supported immediately ahead of one of the conveyor sprockets in the direction of conveyor movement whereby upon the roller on said buckets engaging said track said conveyor is prevented by said sprocket from giving and interfering with the titlting of said buckets, said cam track being supported for pivoting movement relatively of the sprocket and selectively between a first position to engage said follower rollers on the buckets and a second position free of said rollers to permit the buckets to move freely past the tracks.

7. The combination of claim 6 including a manually operable lever arm connected rigidly to one of the cam tracks and extending immediately oppositely of a normally closed access opening in said machine for remotely controlling the position of said tracks.

8. A vending machine comprising a pair of laterally spaced endless sprocket driven chains having a series of uniformly spaced buckets supported therebetween for free pivoting movement about corresponding horizontal pivot axes, said buckets having laterally outwardly extending follower rollers mounted on the sides thereof, a pair of laterally spaced curved cam tracks located immediately adjacent a conveyor sprocket and forwardly thereof in the direction of conveyor movement and supported for swinging movement relatively of the sprockets selectively between a first pivot position where said follower rollers engage corresponding cam tracks to tilt the buckets as the latter are moved past the tracks and a second pivot position where said follower rollers pass freely behind the tracks to retain the buckets in a non-tilted con- Z dition, said conveyor being prevented by said sprocket from giving Way and interferring With the tilting of the buckets upon said follower rollers engaging said cam tracks and manually operable means for moving said cam tracks between pivot positions.

9. The combination of claim 1 in which said conveyor has means to prevent actuation of said over center trip release means by said coin actuated control means to release said conveyor for travel when a predetermined number of buckets has been dumped.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 645,171 Hefiner Mar. 13, 1900 972,350 Dupont Oct. 11, 1910 1,067,669 Miller July 15, 1913 1,393,003 Ayres et a1. Oct. 11, 1921 FOREIGN PATENTS 144,480 Germany Sept. 23, 1923 

1. IN COMBINATION A VENDING MACHINE, A BUCKET CONVEYOR HAVING A SERIES OF OPEN TOP BUCKETS CARRIED BY AN ENDLESS MOVABLE MEMBER TO SUCCESSIVELY MOVE SAID BUCKETS THROUGH A DUMPING ZONE, OVER CENTER TRIP TO RELEASE MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID CONVEYOR TO LOCK THE SAME AGAINST FURTHER FORWARD MOVEMENT IMMEDI- 